


Undying

by arcaneBelligerent



Series: SEVENTEEN [2]
Category: Parahumans Series - Wildbow, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Non-Chronological
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-17 13:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20621453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcaneBelligerent/pseuds/arcaneBelligerent
Summary: A Worm/Undertale fusion, where Undyne is a Protectorate heroine, told through non-chronological snippets.





	1. Chapter Zero - Undyne

Director Armstrong of the Boston PRT sat down in his desk chair. Across from him, not meeting his eyes, was a member of the Protectorate. A Case 53. She had been transferred to Boston a few years ago back when the higher-ups had made the push for Boston to be recognized as the “Case-53 Friendly City”. Weld, of course, was their biggest success. 

And now, after what happened in Brockton Bay just a week prior, he was gone. Along with nearly a hundred other members of the Protectorate. 

Yet the red-headed fish-woman (was that the right term?) sitting across from him had not left. She had publicly stated that she wouldn’t even consider leaving.

Why?

“Undyne,” he said. She looked up. Her remaining yellow eye met his. 

“Please, Undyne. You aren’t in trouble. I just have one question.”

She grunted noncommittally and shifted in her seat, still looking at the floor. The armor panels clanged against each other as she did so. 

Director Armstrong leaned forward slightly. 

“You knew, didn’t you? Even before Ignis Fatuus and Echidna.” It wasn’t a question anymore. It was an accusation. “You knew about Cauldron.”

Undyne sighed, and seemed to sink into her seat, defeated. “Yeah. I knew.” Finally, she met his eyes. Even with one eye behind her eyepatch he could see the barely-restrained vortex of conflicting feelings contained there. 

Director Armstrong put his head in his hands. “Why didn’t you say anything? Did you work for them, or—” he began, but was startled when the fish-woman slammed her hands on his desk. 

“Absolutely not**,**” she snarled. “Those, I can barely call them people, took me from my home world. Yes, they saved my life. No, I don’t work for them. And I hope to whatever god you believe in that you stay as far from them as possible.” 

At this, Director Armstrong startled. For all the time he had known her, she had not said a word to him about her past. In a way, it wasn’t surprising. Most Case 53s didn’t talk about their past because they didn’t remember them. Yet with her, Armstrong had always had a feeling there was a lot he didn’t know. The way she reacted when people called Case 53s “monsters”. How she never tried to branch out socially, and seemed to treat every friendship like a mouse that could run away. And how even through all of the hardships that being a Protectorate cape entailed, she would always have a bright, fanged smile for the kids who came up to her during patrols. How she would always volunteer first for any Protectorate reinforcement calls. 

Then he noticed one thing she said. “Wait, saved your life?” 

Undyne’s eye widened, and she seemed to be in deep thought—

_Melting. The pure Determination that had filled her body was destroying it. Despite what Alphys believed, she _had_ seen some of her studies in the True Lab. And she understood what hardship she was feeling because of it. But this one human..._

_This human was going to destroy the world. And Undyne’s all wasn’t enough. _

_Just as Undyne was about to finish her monologue, a rectangular portal appeared below her, and what was left of her body fell onto a bed in a white room. She saw the small human staring with wide eyes, and could make out its muttering. “That’s never happened before...”_

—before shutting him down with a simple “I don’t want to talk about it.” She said it with such finality that Armstrong instinctively realized he had pushed a button. Maybe three.

“I understand,” he said. “Then can you tell me anything more about Cauldron itself? Who runs it? How do they create the Case 53s? Can they be defeated, at all?” Armstrong knew that this might be taking things too far, but he _had _to know. He knew too many Case 53s to not even try.

Once again, Undyne seemed lost in thought. She appeared to have remembered—

_“Doctor, prepare the balance formula. Pure. The subject’s mouth has melted too much to be ingested orally. It must be injected.” The woman in the fedora was readying herself with surgical tools. _

_“Are you certain, Contessa? This isn’t the first time we’ve attempted to Trigger a non-human.” Even while doubting the other woman’s words, she was busy pouring a liquid into a large syringe. _

_“None of the steps have changed around her, if that’s what you’re asking. But no, I cannot predict what a Trigger will do. You know that.” Contessa affixed a surgical mask to her face. _

_“Will it be alive enough to Trigger? It’s practically a puddle.” The doctor wiped the end of the syringe with a disposable alcohol wipe. _

_“She,” corrected the woman. “And if I say this to her, it should work.” Contessa stepped closer to what was left of the monster’s body, and steeled herself._

_“Undyne! You have to stay determined! You can't give up... You are the future of humans and monsters...”_

_Doctor Mother injected the syringe._

—something traumatic. Perhaps Armstrong shouldn’t be the one to have this conversation with her. Maybe he could ask a cape therapist to...

“No.”

“No?” Director Armstrong refocused his gaze on the Protectorate cape. 

“There are some... things I haven’t told you. Told anyone. I figured that Cauldron would come after me if I said it.” The fish-woman looked around, her gill-ears twitching as if she expected someone from the organization would shoot her just for mentioning their existence. But no such event occured, and she relaxed slightly. 

“I’m not human. I never was human.” 

Armstrong immediately stood up, defenses rising in his mind. “Just because—”

“Let me finish, Director.” Armstrong took his seat again, a little ruffled.

“You’ve heard what my power is, right?” Undyne summoned one of her iconic glowing blue spears. She began stroking it, almost lovingly. “On paper, it’s ‘spear projection’. But that’s the issue. My spears aren’t the result of a parahuman power. It’s magic.” She met the Director’s eyes. “I’m a Monster.”

\------------

“Undyne?” 

Undyne looked down. Pulling on her leg was a little kid, who couldn’t have been older than six or seven. The kid had a bowl cut, and was smiling at her.

For a moment, the briefest moment, all of Undyne’s worst fears had come true. This was it. The kid who had killed Papyrus, who had killed everyone in Snowdin and Waterfall, who had probably killed everyone else in the world she called home. Somehow, that kid had followed her. _The human was here_. 

But her panic was broken when Yttern put his hand on her armored shoulder. She looked down at the kid, who was holding out a piece of paper. The kid grinned at her, and asked, “Can you sign it, please?”

On a second, more thoughtful look, the kid didn't look anything like the one in her nightmares. Sure, this one had a similar haircut, but the face was totally different. And besides, Frisk would’ve called ahead before coming to Boston. Undyne looked down at the paper.

The paper was a picture of her surrounded by her Protectorate teammates. On her left, Yttern in his winged leather armor. Copernicus in his robes. On her right, Righteous was standing proud. Steel Slinger stood with a hand on his shoulder, her wide-brimmed hat tilted slightly. Even Bastion was there in the center, before his PR meltdown. And right next to him? She saw herself standing, armor gleaming. A glowing blue spear was in her hands, and she was grinning, hair in a ponytail. Her eyepatch and remaining yellow eye glittered with happiness. 

Undyne took the picture in her hand, and smiled. This was why she kept being a hero, even so far from home, far from everyone she ever knew (save Frisk).

“Sure, kid. Want a message to go with it?”

“Uh huh! Address it to Jaymy. With two ‘y’s.”

She signed the paper. Jaymy took it back. As she left he saw that she had written her signature phrase.

“_To Jaymy,_

_Stay determined!_

_Hugs and fishes, _

_Undyne.”_

Jaymy beamed.


	2. Chapter One - Frisk

Frisk was bored and terrified at the same time, and she didn't really know how to feel about that. 

The PRT Wards/Protectorate Annual Convention, meant to welcome new members of the organization, was held in the Javits Convention Center in New York City, reinforced for superhuman damages since Behemoth's attack. This was the 20th anniversary of Behemoth's 1992 appearance, and as such the convention was scaled up bigger than ever, likely to convince people that they were winning the war against the Endbringers.

Frisk didn't care. She was cold and in a costume she didn't like and hungry and in a weird city far from everyone she knew and loved (except the kids her power connected her to) and most of all she was_ bored._

Not that nothing was going on. There were all sorts of events happening on the convention floor, with heroes from across the country just walking around. But Frisk didn't know who any of them were. _Frisk didn't care. _

Later in the day Frisk was supposed to be presented on stage. She was to become Toggle, the newest member of the Brockton Bay Wards. 

But Brockton Bay wasn't the cozy chill of Snowdin. It wasn't the towering, borderline arcane structures found in Hotland. It wasn't the cooling atmosphere of Waterfall. And it wasn't the Ruins.

It wasn't home. 

Frisk scanned the convention floor, looking for some place to sit down. What she didn't expect to see was a familiar face.

_Oh my god. That's..._

She rushed over. 

\---

Undyne was bored and bored at the same time, and she knew exactly how to feel about that. She was stuck at this damn table signing autographs, partially as punishment for a bust that went poorly the prior month and partially "because you need to be more approachable!"

Maybe saying "I'll approach you with this SPEAR" wasn't the right answer. Which was odd, since spears usually solved everything. 

...what a weird place Earth Bet was. Even coming up on five years being here it was still weird. 

"Next," she called, handing back the autograph. The newest person in line was short, wearing a costume she sort of recognized. Oh, yeah. Toggle, the new Ward for Brockton. She wished them the best. They needed it. 

"Hi, Undyne," said a voice that tickled at a memory deeper than a debriefing on a new member of a neighboring city's team. "Uh. Can you, uh..."

The kid looked up at Undyne, something in her eyes, and after a single moment of hesitation began unwrapping her mask. 

"Kid, what the hell are you..."

Oh. 

Now she recognized this kid. 

And now she wasn't bored anymore.

"'Scuze me for one second," she said to whoever was sitting next to her (she didn't catch his name), ignoring her mounting panic, "I have to. Uh. Bathroom. It's very urgent. Toggle, was it? Follow me."

"Wait, Undyne, do you recognize me?"

What the hell was this murderer getting at? "Of course I recognize you," grit out Undyne. "Come on. Move."

They moved. Undyne ignored every word that the kid may or may not have said. _Gotta find a quiet place to do this. _

She spotted a maintenance closet, checked that it was unlocked, and grabbed the kid, locking the two of them inside. 

"Undyne, what are you--" The little serial killer's voice was cut off by a spear manifesting centimeters away from its throat. 

"Shut the fuck up. How did you find me here."

"U-Undyne?" The kid did a pretty good job of looking terrified. Oh, cute. Now you show emotions. Tell that story to Monster Kid. 

"How. Did. You. Find me. It's been five years. Did you kill everyone else after I left and decide it wasn't enough?"

The human's eyes widened. 

"I'm not afraid of you anymore," lied Undyne. "You can't beat me. Now tell me why you came here or I kill you."

The kid's eyes went from the spear, to Undyne's glowing yellow eye, and swallowed. "That wasn't me," said the human. "I... I didn't kill anyone. Haven't. Since, uh. I accidentally killed Toriel one time but I fixed that. And that time. Uhm. King Asgore died because of me."

The kid grimaced. "I swear it wasn't me who wanted to kill all of the underground, Undyne. It was..."

"Someone who looked exactly like you?"

"Someone who was possessing my body so that he could kill everyone ever everywhere."

That was new. Undyne was no stranger to Masters or Strangers, having been on Protectorate payroll for five years, but she wasn't sure if she could believe this.

"So, what, you were trapped in your own body, just standing there as you killed Papyrus and everyone else?"

"...yeah." The kid's voice was quiet.

Undyne decided to change tacks. "Human, you said you fixed someone dying. How?"

"I reset the timeline to a point before I accidentally killed her," said the human. Toggle. Whatever. "I can do that. Could do that."

...suddenly, a whole lot more things made sense. 

"Okay. Let's say I believe all that. How did you end up here, on Earth Bet?"

"Well, you're never going to believe this, but..."

"A portal opened and a woman with a fedora injected you with something?"

"No, actually."

No?

"I was in Waterfall, trying to hide from... well, trying to hide from a version of you. That you are not. Because you tried to kill me because of your orders. And all of the sudden a grey door appears that wasn't there in any of the times before, in a hallway that I'd never seen before. I went inside..." The human looked away, but the colors on its costume pulsed. "and inside were the six human SOULs, and a man."

Undyne now understood a great many things. A great many things that she did not want to understand.

"Your power, where you summon shadowy figures to come to your aid... those are the human SOULs?" Undyne asked, bile rising in her throat. 

Frisk nodded. Briefly, six multicolored outlines appeared in the air. 

Undyne recognized more than one. 

One of them she had killed with her own hands. 

Undyne peeled her eyes away from the faint outline of a tutu on the blue figure and looked back at Toggle.

"What's your name, kid? I know it isn't Toggle."

"It's Frisk."

"Frisk, do your friends there tell you anything about me?"

"Not really. I mostly get impressions."

Undyne didn't glance at the purple figure as she said, "What do they say about me, Frisk? What's your impression?"

And then Frisk said, "Forgiveness," and Undyne's world fell apart. 

\---

Later, after the convention, and after Undyne had apologized for what would forever be in their memories "the broom closet incident," and after they reminisced about the good old days in the Underground and traded stories about Sans, Undyne finally managed to ask the question that had been bugging her.

"Did you always use female pronouns?" she blurted out, interrupting a heartwarming tale of Sans and Papyrus's antics.

Frisk startled, then started laughing. "Is that it? That's the biggest thing that's been on your mind?! I thought you were, I dunno! Really worked up about something!"

Undyne's blue cheeks colored purple. "I just... I didn't want to be rude, okay?"

Frisk smiled. "Totally fine. No, when I fell into the Underground I used they and them, even if you probably didn't know that since you were trying to kill me."

Undyne smiled. "We should have more interactions where I don't try and kill you," she said. "I should teach you how to cook one of these days."

The look of pure horror on Frisk's face was too much for Undyne, and she laughed so hard that she accidentally fell off the chair she was on, breaking the nearby glass coffee table with her elbow. 

Now Frisk was laughing, too.

Yeah, thought Undyne. This isn't the kid who tried to kill me. We could be friends.

And so they were.


	3. Chapter Two - Gaster

The door opened.

The girl stepped in.

“💣✡ 👍☟✋☹👎📪” I said.

She froze.

“✋ ☟✌✞☜ ☹✋❄❄☹☜ ❄✋💣☜📪” I continued. “✋❄ ☟✌💧 ❄✌😐☜☠📬 ☠☜✌☼☹✡ ✌☹☹ ❄☟✌❄ ✋ ✌💣📬 ❄⚐ 👍⚐💣☜ ☟☜☼☜ ❄⚐ 👌☼✋☠☝ ❄☟☜💧☜ ❄⚐ ✡⚐🕆📬”

Frisk looked around. “What is this place?” she asked.

“✋❄ 🕈✌💧 💣✡ 💧✌☠👍❄🕆✌☼✡📪” I said. “👌☜☞⚐☼☜ ✋❄ ✌☹☹📬 ✋ 🕈⚐🕆☹👎 👍⚐💣☜ ☟☜☼☜📬 👎🕆☼✋☠☝ 💣⚐💣☜☠❄💧 ⚐☞ 🏱☜✌👍☜📬 ✌☠👎 ❄⚐ ☜💧👍✌🏱☜📬 ❄☟☜ ☼✌☼☜ 💣⚐💣☜☠❄ ⚐☞ ✞✋⚐☹☜☠👍☜📬”

Frisk’s eyes focused in on me, and she took me in, truly, for the first time.

“✋ ✌💣 ☠⚐❄ ✌ 🏱☹☜✌💧✌☠❄ 💧✋☝☟❄📪” I said. “👌🕆❄ ✋ 😐☠⚐🕈 ✡⚐🕆 👍✌☠ 💣⚐✞☜ 🏱✌💧❄ ❄☟✌❄📬”

Frisk nodded. “Why do you have the SOULs?” she asked.

“✋ ✌💣 💧☜☠👎✋☠☝ ✡⚐🕆 ❄⚐ ✌ ☠☜🕈 🕈⚐☼☹👎📪” I answered. “⚐☠☜ 🕈☟☜☼☜ ✡⚐🕆 🕈✋☹☹ ☠⚐❄ 👌☜ 👎☜❄☜☼💣✋☠☜👎 ☜☠⚐🕆☝☟ ❄⚐ 💧✌✞☜📬 ✋❄ ✋💧 ✋💣🏱⚐💧💧✋👌☹☜📬”

“What?”

“✌☠👎 ✋☠ ❄☟✌❄ 🕈⚐☼☹👎📬 ✡⚐🕆 🕈✋☹☹ ☠☜☜👎 💧⚐💣☜ 🕈✌✡ ❄⚐ 👎☜☞☜☠👎 ✡⚐🕆☼💧☜☹☞📬 💧⚐ ✋ 🕈✋☹☹ ☝✋✞☜ ✡⚐🕆 ✌☹☹✋☜💧📬”

Frisk’s eyes widened slightly, and I could make out the white of her sclera. “You’re...”

“✡☜💧📪” I said. “✋ 🕈✋☹☹ ☝☼✌☞❄ ❄☟☜💧☜ ⚐☠❄⚐ ✡⚐🕆☼ 💧⚐🕆☹📪 ✌☠👎 ✡⚐🕆 🕈✋☹☹ 🏱☼☜❄☜☠👎📬 ☞⚐☼ ✌ 🕈☟✋☹☜📬 ❄⚐ 👌☜ 🕈☟✌❄ ❄☟☜✡ 👍✌☹☹ ✌ 👍✌💧☜ ☞✋☞❄✡ ❄☟☼☜☜📬”

Frisk swallowed. “You’ve never appeared like this before. It’s, it’s always been a follower of yours, or Goner Kid, or a small version of you—”

“💧⚐ ✋ ❄☼🕆💧❄📬 ❄☟✌❄ ✡⚐🕆 🕈✋☹☹ 👌☜ ✌👌☹☜📬 ❄⚐ 🕆☠👎☜☼💧❄✌☠👎 ❄☟☜ ☝☼✌✞✋❄✡ ⚐☞ ❄☟✋💧 💧✋❄🕆✌❄✋⚐☠📬”

“And the Underground?” she asked. Always a worrier, this one.

“❄☟☜✡ ☟✌✞☜ 👌☜☜☠ ☞✋☠☜ 🕈✋❄☟⚐🕆❄ ✡⚐🕆 👌☜☞⚐☼☜📪” I said. “✌☠👎 ❄☟☜✡ 🕈✋☹☹ 👌☜ ☞✋☠☜ 🕈✋❄☟⚐🕆❄ ✡⚐🕆 ✌☞❄☜☼📬 ❄☟☜ ☞✌❄☜ ⚐☞ 👌⚐❄☟ 🕈⚐☼☹👎💧 ✌☼☜ ✌❄ 💧❄✌😐☜📬”

Frisk took in the room one more time. 

“Alright,” she said. “I’ll do it.” 

“☝⚐⚐👎📪” I said. “☞☼⚐💣 ❄☟✋💧 🏱⚐✋☠❄ ⚐☠📬 ✡⚐🕆 ✌☼☜ ❄⚐ 🏱☼☜❄☜☠👎 ✡⚐🕆 ☼☜💣☜💣👌☜☼ ☠⚐❄☟✋☠☝ ⚐☞ ❄☟✋💧 🕈⚐☼☹👎📬 ✌☞❄☜☼ ❄☟☜ ⚐🏱☜☼✌❄✋⚐☠📬 ✡⚐🕆 🕈✋☹☹ 👌☜ 🏱☹✌👍☜👎 ⚐☠ ☜✌☼❄☟ 👌☜❄📬 ✌☠👎 ✡⚐🕆 🕈✋☹☹ 👌☜ ✌ ☟☜☼⚐📬”

“Okay,” said Frisk.

“✋ ✌💣 💧⚐☼☼✡📪” I said. “👌🕆❄ ❄☟✋💧 ☠☜✠❄ 🏱✌☼❄ 🕈✋☹☹ ☟🕆☼❄ ✌ ☹✋❄❄☹☜📬”

I reached out and began grafting together the SOULs.

Frisk screamed.


End file.
